Good things to know before you get started

FAQ

To help you learn more before you speak with us, here are topics that most new
customers ask when evaluating if a Capna system is right for them. If you have a question not on our
list, contact us and we’ll get an answer to you right away.

Ethanol is a food-grade alcohol found in all spirits around the world. Because of its strong
solvent properties and exceptional consumer safety, ethanol is used in every type of extraction
industry. It is also safe to ingest, which is why ethanol is found in many foods as a
preservative.

Absolutely. Ethanol is a FDA-approved, GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) extraction solvent.
The FDA classifies it as Class 3, which is reserved for solvents that are not known to be
hazardous to humans. Butane and propane do not meet this safety standard.

Ethanol is a flammable liquid that has a relatively high flash point. It is not explosive at
room temperature and atmospheric pressure. However, basic safety precautions should still be
followed when handling ethanol, and an open flame should never be present when an extraction is
being performed.

Our proprietary, patent-pending method creates unique parameters that allow ethanol to behave
like a non-polar hydrocarbon solvent, such as butane or propane. The operating parameters within
our system ensure that neither chlorophyll nor lipids are co-extracted during the extraction
process — which can save an operator up to 48 hours of extra post-processing work.

Definitely. All Capna systems feature a patent-pending design that utilizes negative pressure to
move fluid without any motors, pumps or positive pressure. If an operator opens the wrong value
at the wrong time, the only possible outcome is that the system will pull ambient air into one
of its vessels. Our design also prevents the risk of any ethanol vapor or aerosols from exiting
the system and creating a fire hazard.

Yes. The quality of the extracts produced by our systems are identical to those extracted with
light hydrocarbons.

Very much so. Click here to read a peer-reviewed publication that compared
ethanol with three other solvents. In their tests, ethanol placed second for its efficacy in
extracting terpenes. Review our model range to learn more about
their terpene extraction performance.

Yields are always determined by the starting material. Our data shows that an extraction with a
Capna system will typically leave behind 1%-1.8% residual cannabinoids in post- extraction plant
material. This means if your flower tests at 15% THC, you will achieve a yield of 13.5%, for an
extraction efficiency of 98.5%.

A rotary evaporator or ARES is typically used to safely recover the ethanol and concentrate the
oil. All of our systems are fully compatible with any rotary evaporator with an auto-feed
feature.

The average loss of ethanol during extraction is 15%. However, you can easily recover and
recycle almost all of it, with our CERES achieving the highest return. We’ll help you
optimize recovery as part of our consultation and on-site training process.

Of course. Doing so won’t just lower your supply costs, but will help the environment as well.
During our on-site training, we’ll show you how easy it is to recover and recycle the ethanol in
your system.